The Quapaw Quarter covers Little Rock's oldest neighborhoods, roughly the city as it stood in 1900, south of the river and east of Central High. It holds as many as 15 National Register districts and some of the oldest houses in Arkansas.
The feel
The name dates to 1961, when a city advisory committee picked it to give the aging area around MacArthur Park a new identity. It refers to the Quapaw treaty line of 1818, which crosses the neighborhood. The broad area is not legally defined, but it roughly matches Little Rock's 1900 city limits, from the river south toward Fourche Creek and from the old Rock Island tracks west to the Central High neighborhood. Expect big porches and restored houses.
The homes
This is where the oldest houses in the city stand. Trapnall Hall on East Capitol Avenue was built in 1843, and the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House on East Seventh Street dates to 1840. Most homes are Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Craftsman houses from the late 1800s and early 1900s, along with some antebellum homes and duplex or apartment conversions. More than 200 buildings here are listed on the National Register.
Schools
The Quapaw Quarter is in the Little Rock School District. Little Rock Central High School sits on the western edge of the area. The district adopted new high school zones in August 2026 ahead of Little Rock West High School's 2027 opening. Elementary and middle school zones vary across the Quarter, and boundaries can change, so verify the assigned schools for a specific address with the district.
Getting around
Downtown and the River Market are a short drive, bike ride or, from the northern blocks, a walk away. I-30 and I-630 border parts of the area, which makes the rest of the city easy to reach. Broadway and Main Street are the main north-south streets. Clinton National Airport is a few miles east.
Life here
The Arkansas Governor's Mansion, opened in 1950, anchors the Governor's Mansion Historic District along lower Broadway and Center Street. MacArthur Park holds the Tower Building, where Douglas MacArthur was born in 1880, and the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Villa Marre on Scott Street appeared on television in Designing Women. The South Main (SoMa) residential district was added to the National Register in 2007. The Quapaw Quarter Association has held a spring tour of historic homes since 1963.
Owning here
Pulaski County property tax follows Arkansas law: real property is assessed at 20 percent of market value, and the local millage rate applies to that figure. Owner-occupants who file a homestead claim can get a state credit, up to $600 on 2026 bills. Amendment 79 freezes the assessed value of a homestead owned by someone 65 or older or disabled. National Register listing alone does not restrict private work, but some blocks may fall under local historic district or Capitol zoning review for exterior changes, so check with the city before you plan work. Old houses can have knob-and-tube wiring, original plaster and aging plumbing; get a thorough inspection. Homes built before 1978 require a federal lead-based paint disclosure.
